Yesterday we picked up our 1991 Scamp 16 with our Honda and got 22 mpg, we were running our air conditioner and their was a fair amount of traffic lights. We'll see what weget in normal towing situation when we bring it home to NH.

Norm Im I wrong in believing that the CRV is only rated for 1500lbs tow cap?

I recall looking at them as I like them but the tow limit took them out of the running for towing my 16' which comes in at about 2500lbs when fully loaded with a couple of weeks worth a gear and food but no water.

Norm Im I wrong in believing that the CRV is only rated for 1500lbs tow cap?

I recall looking at them as I like them but the tow limit took them out of the running for towing my 16' which comes in at about 2500lbs when fully loaded with a couple of weeks worth a gear and food but no water.

Some people feel that vehicle towing capacity is subjective (if you feel it is safe, it is safe). The argument from others is that the towing capacity by North American auto companies should be used as the basis for determining whether it is safe to tow a trailer or not. Still others says that the European standards for towing capacity should be used. Some people like to apply a standard on top of the towing capacity of North American auto companies, e.g. never go over 80% of the vehicle rated towing capacity.

This discussion has been going on for years and sometimes is pretty heated with questions being raised about the sanity of some of the forum members.

I would hope that there is an objective method of determining towing capacity used by the auto companies but I have so far not been able to find one. This is a subject that needs some sober thought.

The towing issue is very interesting. For years I've looked for reasons behind the rules of thumb for towing ability. It's obvious that manufacturers are not consistant from country to country with the same vdehicle. It's also obvious that the US idea that 10-15% hitch weight is required does not seem to apply in Europe.

We've been towing extensively for 4 years now with our Honda CRV, towing a 15.5' Sunline, a 16' Casita and now a 16' Scamp. Tongue weights have varied from 7% to 15%; tailer weights from 2300 to 3000#s. None of the trailers have swayed. We do not use a WD hitch; we did use a sway bar on the Sunline because we had one, feeling it might be good for emergencies. Since we still have one, we will probably add it to the Scamp.

We love our CRV. It gets great mileage towing (22-23) and not towing (28-30). It has a 5 speed manual transmission. Mostly we are in 5th while towing. Of course we down shift in hilly situations and have driven 1000 miles of dirt roads with severe grades.

As well the Honda has been incredibly reliable. We've replaced tires and changed oil. The only thing thats failed is the air conditioner at 60,000 miles, replaced by Honda at no charge.

We're retired and don't drive long distances in a day (but have made 4 loops of the USA and been every where in Canada). We don't drive fast never over 60.
We have placed a mark on our temperature gauge to indicate normal temperature. The Honda has never moved off this position; simply does not overheat while towing no matter the hill or temperature.

Obviously we love our Honda. It has worked well for 135,000 miles. Our goal is to reach 250,000 miles with the Honda, another 5-6 years; we'll probably having to replace the clutch one of these days.

I must admit we considered a Casita 17 because I need the inside height but decided the tongue weight on the 17 is too high for the Honda. As a result we choose the Scamp 16, a taller lighter rig than the Casita 17.

We also like the Honda because it has on demand 4 wheel drive, not the best 4 wheel drive solution but it's saved us a couple of times on Airozona back roads. Any time a front wheel slips it kicks in. It's definitely not a 'jeep like' rock climber but for sub-normal driving or snow it works.

We have moved to smaller rigs because we recognize that gas prices are heading up rapidly, doubling in the last two years. Since it's now almost impossible to drill in the USA and a growing car market now exists outside the USA (Chinese bought more cars than Americans last year) gas prices have no where to go but up and rapidly. We want to RV for another 10 years so we need good mileage and reliability and to us that spells Honda and Scamp.

Next year we plan a loop of the USA and Canada and that will give us a good measure of Scamp/Honda mpg.

I have pulled 1000 lbs behind an Echo sedan with Class I hitch and it was fine. They sell you a hitch for an Echo then tell you that they do not recommend towing with an Echo at the dealere? Trailer brakes are wise though.

My previously owned Trillium 1300 (1974 with brakes and WD) towed first with a Honda CRV (2000). This was NOT safe... After a few bad and scaring experiences I upgraded to the Pilot.

I've read all those opinions on European standards and different towing limits. I WANTED to believe all this but experience proved that this was literacy as far as I am concerned. I know that I will die someday but I will do my best to die from something else than a trailer accident.

I'm curious to know what kind of mishaps you had towing with your CRV. It's important to learn from the experience of others.

The only time I ever had an issue is when I placed a generator on the rear bumper, nothing serious but it swayed a little. I moved the generator inside and problem gone.

Hoping to learn from you,

Norm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Normand Choiniere

Trillium 5500 (1980) towed with a 2004 Honda Pilot.

My previously owned Trillium 1300 (1974 with brakes and WD) towed first with a Honda CRV (2000). This was NOT safe... After a few bad and scaring experiences I upgraded to the Pilot.

I've read all those opinions on European standards and different towing limits. I WANTED to believe all this but experience proved that this was literacy as far as I am concerned. I know that I will die someday but I will do my best to die from something else than a trailer accident.

I do not tow at speeds over 80 kmh / 50 mph and the Echo we had prior had a sway bar plate on the draw bar.
(milage was great and trailer small infact Echo is not so good in wind but was actually better towing?)

Noticed that many pull at 60! mph Wow. Again it is subjective to size of trailer and vehicle.

Now have bigger trailer and larger car, WD system with sway bar and more. We still will not win an uphill race but not really in that much of a hurry. Dealer said do not use over drive on hills